Monsters
by ihobbitses
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, the first time she meets him: the Monster under her bed. Klaroline.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, all. I know, I know, you haven't heard from me in a while... I just haven't had any inspiration lately. This idea has been in my mind for a while now, but I could never get a hold on it and really start writing it out. Well, tonight I got some inspiration, and wrote this out. I know what I want to happen after this, but I'm not sure of the ending yet... So for now, this is a one-shot which will probably be continued, but I can't promise when. Let me know if you like it, so I know if anyone wants me to keep going. (:**

**The idea came from a combination of _Doctor Who_'s "The Eleventh Hour" and _The_** **_Monster_ by Eminem and Rihanna, and a couple things along the way. Well, I hope you enjoy!**_  
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"Dear Santa," Caroline began whispering, hands pressed together in front of her while she kneeled, leaning on the bed. It was high enough to make it so her hands came up to her forehead.

"This year, I really want my dad to make it for Christmas. He's always so busy lately, and I never get to see him anymore." She paused, not really knowing what else to say. Her mind whirled as she tried to think, but all she could come up with was how her dad's new friend was always with him.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Also, can you make sure his friend Steven doesn't come? He's really weird. And he keeps giving me these creepy dolls."

As she said it, she looked over at the offending dolls with a glare that could melt wax. Too bad they were porcelain.

With a shiver that started at her neck and slithered down her spine, Caroline turned back to her hands. "_Any_way_,"_ she continued, "If you could hurry on that, that would be great, 'cause Christmas is like, tomorrow, and I know I also sent you a letter, but I really wanted to make sure you got it, and it didn't get lost, so I-" _breathe_, "so I also had my mom send you an email."

Caroline paused to take another couple of needed breaths before remembering with a start, "Oh, and also I really want to be prettier than Elena when we get back to school, so if you could send me some make-up, or some... or-"

The small crease in her forehead scrunched as her eyebrows came together in confusion. Then she looked down at her chest, underneath her princess pajamas, and looked back up, "Or, if you could give me boobies, that would also work. Thanks."

Suddenly, she found she wasn't sure if that was enough. After all, she was talking to one of the most important men in the world, so...

"Erm, have a good night!"

Then she scrambled up, stretching her now sore knees, and reaching to her full 3 foot, 6 inches. She was only a little under the average height for an eight-year-old, but combine that with her slightly chubbier features, she felt like the ugliest duckling next to Elena. Elena even had a bit of a growth spurt over the summer, and was officially one of the tallest in their class.

Caroline was only a little jealous of her, though she'd never admit it out loud, _even_ if you tickled her.

A loud thunk made her jump out of her thoughts, making the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stand on end.

And then, only a second later, there was another sound... Something that sounded... like a person.

Grumbling.

Jumping onto the bed in the biggest bound she could muster, Caroline slammed her back up against the wall as she scrambled backwards.

Suddenly her room went quiet again, as though there had been no sounds to begin with. The silence of the dark was heavy as it weighed down on her.

It's like waiting for the spider on the ceiling to move. You know it's there, you can see it, and you just hope that by watching it, it wont go anyway. At least, long enough until someone can come along and squash it for you so it can't feast on you in your sleep. That's the feeling that engulfs Caroline as she sits on her bed, waiting for a noise.

Finally, it becomes unbearable, and she almost whispers, "W-who's there?" Her voice is only trembling a little, but it's almost a shock compared to how quick her nerves were moving under her skin.

There was no answer, and Caroline began to wonder if she had merely dropped something, or made the grumbling herself without knowing it, or maybe there wasn't a noise at all...

She closed her eyes, feeling herself losing it. Taking a deep breath, and then a nearly silent exhale, Caroline opened her eyes and began to move.

Caroline Forbes was nothing but stealthy, or at least that's how she perceives herself, forming her lips into a wide 'O'. As she reached the edge and looked down over it slowly, her head moved up, elongating her face. The face of someone who's concentrating on something more important than what she looks like in that moment.

And she expects to see something on the floor... but there's nothing.

Like, literally nothing, because Caroline's room is immaculate for an eight-year-old, so it's not like she has to look at everything and wonder what would have been there before. No, it's pristine. Like she's waiting for some official inspection on who's-room-is-cleanest, even though she's an only child.

Again, Caroline's small chubby face scrunches in confusion. Caroline Forbes has excellent memory, didn't you hear. She _definitely_ heard something. This something is obviously trying to prove itself smarter than her... and that thought suddenly makes her angry as she glares at the vacant floor.

"Hey! I know you're there! You get out here, right now!" She angrily whispers, making sure not not get loud enough so her mother would come up and yell about her not being in bed still.

And to her very big surprise, a voice answered her. "Alright, sweetheart. I can do that."

Caroline's baby blues went wider than an owl's as she scrambled back to her space against the wall. Okay, maybe she hadn't thought there would be anything that would answer her back. And yes, maybe she should be screaming now, but it seemed to have gotten caught in her throat like a plug, sealing her voice closed.

She was sure her racing heart couldn't run any faster, but when something moved at the edge of her bed, she was sure it would come zooming out of her chest.

That something ended up being a back, which was soon attached to a head and the back end of a man, and Caroline wasn't sure how she hadn't fainted yet.

Maybe it was because he looked a lot like that cute guy in that movie that she couldn't remember. Katherine made her watch it, so she had tried to remove it from her brain, like throwing away a gross, wet piece of paper.

By the time her brain had processed anything, the man was staring back at her, standing completely upright. And then she realized she was obviously dreaming... Why would a man suddenly come out from under her bed.

"Did you just come out from under my bed?" she suddenly blurted out, before she could stop herself. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately...

"Yes," he replied, his big lips curling into... well something. She was sure she should be feeling like he was a creeper, and should be screaming for her mother by now, she just didn't. The glint in his eyes made her feel like he was going to laugh at her.

"Are you laughing at me?" She asked, though it sounded more like an accusation, backed up by her death glare. The one she usually reserves for her creepy Steven dolls.

"Perhaps," he answers, crossing his arms over his chest, still not looking away from her.

She's not looking away either though. Not even to make sure those dolls are still on their shelf, and haven't come alive to eat her. In fact, she watches his arms crossing over his chest, and she can't help but think he had really nice arms. Definitely what male arms should look like, she thinks.

"That's not really an answer, you know," she says matter-of-factly.

He nods, obviously accepting her superiority, or at least that's how she chooses to take it. "You're right," he answers, cementing her theory and taking him down another notch on her should-I-call-for-help list. "Well, I did happen to come out from under your bed, but don't worry," he says, bending down to look at her from the same level, as though he has something really secret to tell her, "I'm not a serial killer."

"Oh," she says lamely. That was a good thing, she supposed. Though, it didn't really tell her why he was under her bed."

"So why were you under my bed?" Her eyes widen a little with a thought that she again blurts out like word-vomit, "You're not a monster, are you?"

He chuckles, and she cant help but notice the little notches on either end of his mouth. She couldn't remember what they were called, so she'd have to find that out later. They looked nice on his face though.

"Monster is such a cruel word. If by 'monster' you mean some hairy creature from the depths of your nightmares who waits unseeingly under your bed or in your closet, merely to wait for the chance to engulf you," he says, his hands coming free from the knot in front of his chest to wave around as he spoke. "Then no," he looks straight at her then, "I'm not a monster."

She nods. He talks pretty fast, and it takes her more than a second to fully comprehend what he's said, but she decides she really likes his voice. That's probably part of the reason it takes her a little longer, because she's focusing on the rounding R's, and the slithering H's of his voice.

"Where did you come from?" She asks, realizing that his voice doesn't sound like her parents, or anyone else she knows.

"Somewhere far away," he says as he turns and starts to walk around her room. Its small, so there really isn't much to see. A couple pictures of her parents and herself on their family trip to the Falls a few years ago, outlined in frames that she made in school that year.

After taking a couple moments to properly examine them, he keeps moving, rounding his way over to her small bookcase with only a few books, mostly the ones she forgot to give back in school. Soon he was standing in front of the Steven dolls. She gave them an extra glare as her eyes landed on them, which was becoming somewhat of a habit.

"Well," the man suddenly says, shaking his head slightly, "These are a little creepy."

Caroline can't help what happens next, but her eyes go wide with surprise as she suddenly bursts out laughing. Her hand clutches at her stomach as a cramp spreads through it, telling her she's probably laughing more than was appropriate. She still can't help it.

But her sudden outburst of hysterics has him turning around to look at her again, and she finds the laughter rushing from her lungs. "S-sorry," she mutters, biting her lip to attempt at cutting off any further giggling. "It's just, I've been thinking that for ages, but my dad's best friend keeps giving them to me," she finishes off conspiratorially.

"Hmm," he hums, as though he thoroughly understands her. "Why are they creepy to _you_?" he asks.

She startles a little. No one really asks her that... She always has a reason, but sometimes it seems like no one really wants to know what it is. Her mother usually just shushes her if she brings it up, saying that it's '_rude_'.

"Um," she begins, not sure what to say at first. "I guess, 'cause they always seem to watch me. Like, I cant look away, or they might try something sneaky. Also, they're just gross looking. I mean, who looks like that?"

It's his turn to laugh, but he doesn't get all the way to the stomach-cramping stage, because Caroline doesn't find it funny, and she looks like she might start throwing things violently with her mind.

He then walked forward, his eyes not looking anywhere but at her as he came to the end of her bed. "What's your name, love?"

"Well, it's not '_love_'. It's Caroline. Caroline Forbes," she corrects him. "What's yours?" She asks, thinking it only fair.

"Niklaus Mikaelson," he answers, before stretching his hand out to her, "but you may call me, Klaus."

She never really understood why older people would always shake hands, but it seemed like that's what this _Klaus_ guy wanted. So she put her hand out to take his, but it was more like her thumb clasped around his, as his hands outsized her own.

He shook her hand lightly, though it felt like an earthquake rippling through her arm.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Forbes."

"You too, Klaus," she says, giving him a bright smile. For whatever reason, knowing someones name made them more likable, and slightly more trustworthy.

Then, without another word, he let go of her hand and began to bend down. It took Caroline a moment to realize that he was getting under the bed again.

"Wait!" she heard herself say quickly, "Are you leaving?" She wasn't really sure if she was upset by that, or if the strange situation was messing with her.

He looked back up at her from his sitting position on the floor, his legs underneath the bed. "Yes, I'm going to go home now."

With a bit of unknown courage, Caroline found herself inching towards the middle of the bed, towards him. "Aren't you going to leave through the door?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm going to leave the way I came."

"I-I thought you were just hiding under the bed."

"No," he answered immediately. "I came from under the bed."

She was only getting more confused the more he answered her, "But there's nothing under my bed."

Klaus merely shrugged, and she found herself getting more frustrated over confused. "Technically, no there isn't. That is, until I go under it."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid."

"I can see that, sweetheart."

"Well," she started, trying to come up with something more to ask her as he started to shuffle under the bed again. "Are you going to come back?"

As his eyes met hers this time, she could see something there... Like he was sad, or scared of something she'd said. "Yes, but not tonight."

She nodded, crawling over to the edge of the bed as he began to scoot under it until she couldn't see him at all. "Goodnight, Klaus."

Caroline waited for his response, but it never came. She quickly threw her top half over the side of the bed, poking her head around the bottom edge to look underneath, but there was nothing. Nothing but a sock, and as she looked closely, she realized it was the sock she had been trying to find for the past week. She gave it a small glare before pulling herself back up into the middle of the bed.

She stared out at nothing, lost in her thoughts about what had happened that night, when for the second time, she found herself jumping out of her skin at a noise.

"Oh, and next time you find a stranger in your room, call for help please, sweetheart."

Her head whirled around at his voice, only to catch him with a grin on his face before disappearing under the bed again. Caroline's eyes widened, but once again by the time she found herself looking under the bed, this time on the floor on all-fours, there was nothing to be seen but her sock.

Sighing, Caroline got back up to her feet, and carried herself over to the door. Leaning against the cold wood, she tried to listen to see if her mother had come upstairs. It was completely silent though, so she figured her mother either hadn't heard anything, or just fell asleep on the couch again.

Turning, her glance caught sight of the shelf full of Steven dolls, and her eyes immediately glared at them before hitting the light switch and running to where she knew her bed was in the dark.

She had always wished to have the light switch be right next to her bed, so she could just turn it off while curled up in the covers, but that would never happen. Her room was perfectly set up.

As she wrapped herself in her blankets and her head hit the pillow, Caroline couldn't help but think about what he said. Okay, maybe she should have yelled for her mother, but there was just something about him. Something that was making her already excited for the next time she would see him.

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**To be continued (eventually)...**

**Well? If it was a little all over the place, good. I feel like she's in that stage of being Caroline where she thinks she's right all the time, until she's wrong, and then she was right anyway. I wanted to show her maturing over the years, as well as their relationship, and this is just the beginning.**

**Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

Its been a long time since Caroline has seen the mysterious Klaus Mikaelson. About 1 year, 9 months and 28 days, but who's counting? Oh, thats right, every therapist her mother has sent her has been, and hasn't refrained from filling her in.

Not to mention the little red marker dots Caroline's been putting in the corner of every day on her Landscapes calendar. A red dot for every day he doesn't show up.

He said he would come back though, she's sure of it. She's also _very_ sure that she didn't image him.

Thats why she's been through 4 different therapists since the last time she saw him.

She tried to bring him up over opening with her mother the next day, to see if she had ever had any men pop out from under _her_ bed. Strangely, her mother quickly ran upstairs to look around her room, making a _complete_ mess.

Liz Forbes then managed to give one of the longest lectures of her life, even though it was Christmas, and her father had not shown up.

That was the day she realized there was no Santa. It was also the day she found out that her father was moving out.

She still remembered that day clearly in her mind. She remembered trying to tell herself not to bring up Klaus to anyone again... To keep him to herself, but of course that didn't happen, because her mouth and brain sometimes don't get along, so her mouth likes to try and one-up her brain...

Which is how she came to her second biggest lecture of her life, and is also how she went to her first therapist.

It just went on from there.

"_You're too old to have an imaginary friend, Caroline."_

"_You know, you were probably just dreaming, Caroline."_

Or her fathers favorite:

"_Is this supposed to be your way of saying you've started your womanhood, Caroline?"_

Yeah, that was a cute conversation. Especially when she had to tell him that _yes, _she _had_ started her period when she was nine (and a half) – her mother taught her all about it – but _no,_ Klaus is not bleeding out of her girl parts.

And then there was,

"_Caroline, Klaus is just a part of your imagination..."_

It was after that conversation with every different therapist that their meetings would end abruptly. She wouldn't tell anyone why, but the therapist would say that they couldn't see her anymore. Something about their policies.

Her parents, who were now at least on speaking terms, and now also apparently included Steven, didn't know what to do with her. They took to grounding her a lot, making it so she couldn't spend time with Elena, or their new best friend Bonnie. Not that she always minded being in her room, but it seemed like you were supposed to be upset about being grounded, so she would sometimes make sure to cry.

Really though, she would just wait on her bed, playing with her pokemon cards (which were top secret, and she kept them under her bed, since no one bothered to look there), or she would watch TV, or even just try and sleep... Waiting for him.

Tonight was no different. And though she knew Klaus was real, that she hadn't imagined him, she wasn't so sure if he would actually be coming back like he said...

"Ugh! Bloody hell!"

Caroline's eyes went wide at the voice, her heart picking up speed immediately and the hairs on her arms standing on end. "H-hello?"

"Pokemon cards? What _are_ these?" she heard the voice say, and her lips suddenly curled into a big smile.

"Klaus?" She whispered, though she wasn't so sure that was completely necessary anymore.

She could hear some soft scraping, like clothes across the carpet before two hands came up from the edge of her bed. They were soon followed by a head popping up, and a face that she remembered as clear as her own, even if she had only seen it once before.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said smoothly, smirking at her. She could see the little crease next to the curled side of his lips and remembered they were called _dimples_. She had looked it up.

"I thought you meant you would be back in a couple days..." she accused him, not even waiting until he was up off the floor.

Caroline watched him stretch, fascinated in the way his shirt road up above his pants to show a bit of skin as his arms went above his head and around his back. He groaned as he did so before they suddenly dropped back down to his hips.

"Sorry, what?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes, "Where have you been? I thought you meant you'd be back in a couple days, when you said you'd come back." Caroline pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She wasn't naked or anything, but she couldn't help but feel a little self conscious... No one ever saw her in her pajamas except her parents.

He looked confused by what she had said though, and quickly asked, "How long has it been?"

Caroline scoffed. Obviously he was messing with her already. "Don't you have calendar's where you come from?"

"Well we don't really count our years by days, but by seasons," he answered, as though this were the most normal thing in the world. "How long has it been?" he asked again.

She bit her lip, "Almost two years."

Klaus' expression became even more confused, "How many seasons is that?"

Caroline thought for a moment, counting in her head before she answered. "Like eight?"

His eyes went wide with what could only be seen as shock, "That's not possible."

She looked at him in a way that told him immediately that it in fact _was_ possible, before her expression changed to curious. "How long has it been for you?"

Klaus' eyes shifted away from her, his hands finding his pockets, "One season," he finally answered.

Her jaw dropped. "_That's_ not possible."

He just returned her _very-possible_ face before looking away from her and walking over to the Steven dolls.

"Weren't there more of these last time?" he asked, picking one up in hands and turning it around and around, as if inspecting it.

She nodded, even though he wasn't looking at her. "Yeah, I kind of had a fit and broke a few when I found out Steven wasn't _just_ a friend of my dad's."

Klaus looked over at her, eyebrow cocked, and she couldn't hold his gaze. Instead, Caroline moved off the bed and walked over to him slowly, her eyes staying locked on his legs.

"I can't say I'm disappointed about that," he said, and she looked up to catch the dimple forming at the edge of his mouth again.

She couldn't help the flush that came to her cheeks. Caroline wasn't stupid, you know, she could tell he was probably someone that Katherine would fawn over in one of her movies, in which she would call dibs and becoming increasingly obsessed...

At that thought, she found that a little web of jealousy sprouted deep in her chest, for some reason.

"I'm sorry I took so long to come back," he said, finally breaking the silence that had come between them. He put the doll carefully back in it's place before walking over to her bed and sitting down.

Caroline couldn't help but follow, as though her body was attached to his with some kind of invisible string. She stopped in front of him, with a least a couple feet of space between them. "Why did it take you so long?"

He shrugged as he answered, "It's hard to tell the time difference between your world and mine. We're still working on finding a way to tell what time and day it will be here."

Caroline really didn't know what to say to that... "Oh." She nodded, as though she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"It looks to be about the same time here as it was last time though," he noticed as his eyes find the window on the other side of the room.

Caroline nodded, "Yeah, but it's fall outside this time. Last time was winter. That's how you keep track, right? Isn't that what you said last time?" She had almost memorized their encounter almost three years ago, running it through her mind over and over again. After all, she also had to recite it to a few therapists along the way.

Klaus nodded, "Yes. It's still summer at home."

"I like summer... but fall is my favorite time of year," she stated matter-of-factly, her fingers coming together in front of her as she spun and sat beside him on the bed.

"Interesting," he said, and Caroline just knew he meant it. She knew sometimes people didn't really care to know how she actually felt about things... They would just answer to get her to stop talking. But with Klaus, even though he barely spoke, it seemed like he genuinely wanted to know her answer when he asked a question.

Before she knew it, Caroline was grinning from ear to ear.

"It seems I have forgotten my manners, dear Caroline. How have you been since I saw you last?" He asked, turning towards her slightly so one of his knees came up on the bed.

Her smile faltered at his question, and he didn't seem to miss it, because he instantly looked concerned. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I um... I'm going to see a new therapist next week," she answered, looking away from him and down at her hands.

"A therapist?" he questioned, obviously a little confused.

"Yeah, like, someone you talk to about your problems or whatever." Caroline grimaced at the thought. They never really cared that _she_ didn't think she actually _had_ a problem.

"What problems?" he prompted, and she looked over at him quickly, her top teeth instantly finding her bottom lip.

He slowly reached forward, his thumb pulling her lip free. "What is it?" Klaus asked, ducking his head a little to catch her gaze.

She shrugged, putting on a small smile to show she was fine, "It's nothing. No one believes you're real, that's all."

He fell back a little, obviously understanding her. "I see," was all he said.

"But it's no big deal," she quickly continued, "I'm sure this one will go away like all the rest in no time."

"All the rest?"

She nodded, "Mhmm, I've seen four other therapists, and they never last. I just wish my mom would stop finding them." Caroline rolled her eyes in annoyance at her mother.

"I see," he said again. "Why have you seen so many?"

She looked away, her lips scrunching together as she tried to prolong telling him. "I kept biting them."

There was a short silence where she thought he was going to start yelling at her like her father did, but she was suddenly surprised when he burst into laughter.

"You-you bit them?" he choked out in between near-sobs.

She glared at him.

"Why on earth would you do that?" he asked, attempting to get himself under control.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Caroline huffed. "I just felt like it, okay?"

He nodded, though she could tell he was trying not to laugh anymore, and nearly failing. Jerk.

"Alright, sweetheart."

She thought he was just answering her, but then she felt the bed shift under her and looked up to see that he was lowering himself onto the floor.

Her eyes went wide, "You're leaving already?"

Klaus paused in his actions to look up at her, "Is that alright, love?" he asked, almost as though he were finding new reason to laugh at her.

"When will you come back?" she asked quickly. She didn't want to go another year, or two, wondering when he would come back.

"As soon as I can. I swear," he promise, and she wanted to believe him... She really did.

He was about to begin moving again, when she quickly flattened onto the bed, her chin resting on her knuckles. "Klaus?"

"Hm?" he paused again.

"My birthday is in twelve days, you know."

He looked even more intrigued as he leaned onto the bed, also resting his head in his hand as he looked at her. His legs were already under her bed, and it was the closest they had ever been. As though they shared more than just the secret of his existence.

"Is it now?" he began, and when she nodded quickly, he continued, "how old will you be in twelve days?"

"Ten," she said, her chest bursting with pride. Not to mention, she already had boobs, and Elena still didn't, which only reminded her to curl her arm around her chest again.

He looked surprised, "Wow, I would have guessed fifteen, at least."

She grinned and he mirrored her. "Will you come to my party? It's basically the most important party of the year." She nodded, to emphasize her reasoning.

He understood, she could tell, but she could also see what his answer would be, "I don't want to promise you anything, Caroline, but I will try."

Klaus then looked around in thought, lost in his own mind, and Caroline took the moment to try and memorize a few more features of his. Like the freckle on his neck, and the way his lips parted slightly when he was thinking really hard.

"I tell you what," he began, catching her attention again as his arms went around to the back of his neck, "I have a present for you."

"Really?" her eyes grew wide. Presents were the best part of birthdays.

"Mhmm," he answered, and then she watched him slip off one of the few necklaces from around his neck. He looked at it for an extra moment before placing it in her outstretched hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't wrap it, and it might not look like much, but it holds a lot of value for me. I'd love you to have it."

His words buzzed around her, but she was busy looking at what he had given her. It was a stone, with an intricate carving on it that looked like some kind of animal face, most of it worn away. Through a small hole in the stone, a string of leather was laced through it.

"It's beautiful," she said, her eyes finally going up to his again. She was surprised to see he looked sad. "Are you sure you-"

"Yes, I'm sure. Here," he leaned forward then, taking the necklace from her only to loop it lightly around her neck. She sat up to look down at it on her chest, and noticed that it was quite long on her, much longer than where it lay on him. "It looks perfect," he said, also looking it over on her.

"Thank you," she finally said, looking up to see him scooting under the bed again. "Klaus?"

He paused, almost completely concealed now, "Yes?"

"Don't take too long."

Klaus didn't say anything then, but gave a small nod before disappearing under the bed. She didn't bother trying to look underneath it. She knew he was already gone.

Her hand didn't leave the cool stone for the rest of the night.

.

.

He knew he wouldn't make it to her birthday. It was impossible to tell when he would return to see Caroline. While they knew how to use the portal, they still didn't understand the time difference between worlds.

And it wasn't like he wasn't busy in his own world.

"Niklaus?" a voice called through the door as he walked forward, closing the door he had just walked through. Of course, the door was only there to hide the portal concealed behind it.

"Yes?" he answered, walking over to the door and opening it. Behind it stood Elijah, elegantly dressed as per usual in a suit made at one of the finest establishments in the city.

Without being asked, Elijah quickly walked in and shut the door behind him. When he turned back around to face him, Klaus knew something was wrong.

"How was your jump? Learn anything significant?"

Klaus' eyes went wide, "How did you-"

"I came to speak with you a few minutes ago. I watched you come in here, but imagine my surprise when you weren't here to speak with me."

"I-"

"Do not insult my intelligence, brother," Elijah said, and the look in his eye made Klaus stop short. Elijah was polite, and caring, but crossing him would be a mistake. Klaus himself had seen what could happen when Elijah was pushed too far.

"Apologies."

Elijah nodded, then moved past him, straight for the door Klaus had just come through. "You know it's against Father's rules to use a portal without permission."

Klaus nodded, "Are you going to tell him?"

His older brother turned to look at him, a spark of hurt flitting across his bold features. "You'd think that of me?"

"Perhaps," he said, without flinching.

Elijah sighed, walking closer to him until he stood in front of him. "I know we haven't had the best relationship, brother, but I am on your side. Always," he placed a heavy hand on Klaus' shoulder for a moment before moving past him towards the door.

Klaus' heart ached at the words his brother spoke, but he couldn't quite believe them. All evidence went against what Elijah said, and he wasn't about to forget that.

"Just remember the rules when you're on the other side. Most importantly: No Contact." Elijah gave him one last final glance before he was walking out and shutting the door behind him.

Klaus grimaced. Granted, he had meant to follow the rules when he was on the other side, but he hadn't expected to go from his bedroom, right to another one. And after meeting Caroline... Well, he couldn't quite see what everyone was afraid of.

She was a beacon of light, and he wasn't talking about her slightly unruly golden curls or her bright blue eyes. Yes, she was young, what the Fair Folk in the south would call a sprout. But she was beautiful all the same.

And it was that, that allure she held over him, that had him going back. He hadn't expected her to look a little older, and was extremely surprised when told him how long it had been.

One season of his was equivalent to eight of hers. He supposed he should have told Elijah that, now that he thought about it, but he couldn't see the harm in waiting a little longer.

He only hoped he could find time soon to go and see her again.

.

.

* * *

**Hello, my ****lovelies! I hope this wasn't too confusing for you. I tried not to put TOO much about Klaus' world, but don't worry. Over time, you'll learn more and more. I'm getting a lot of ideas and inspiration from different movies/books. **

**I'm so excited that you all want to read this! Thank you soooo much to all that reviewed, followed, and favorited. It means a lot to me.**

**BTW, you can follow me on Tumblr ihobbitses**

**Until next time!**


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